This invention relates to lighting scene controls, and more specifically relates to a novel circuit and panel for such control systems, U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,660.
Lighting control systems are known wherein groups of lights within a room can be individually dimmed by different relative amounts and, upon the pressing of an appropriate switch, one of a plurality of dimming scenes which is preset can be automatically selected. Past arrangements to obtain this result frequently emply rotary potentiometers, with all dimming equipment and control equipment contained at the same location. This location frequently was removed from the area being lighted so that adjustment of the various lights in the area for different scenes was complicated. Moreover, in prior art arrangements it was difficult to determine the relative adjustment of potentiometers of given groups of controls which define respective single lighting scenes relative to one another.
It is also known in the prior art to provide fade circuit means to control the fading of the light from one adjustment level to another as the lighting scene is changed. Each fade control circuit had a respective fade rate adjustment which required individual adjustment. These adjustments did not account for desirable changes in fade speed, depending on the portion of the fade rate range being used.